Esophageal cancer and Barrett's esophagus. The Barrett's Esophagus Genomic Study Group is composed of 154 physicians from varying practice environments who collaborate to identify families in which three or more members have classic long-segment Barrett's esophagus (a pre-malignant disorder) with or without esophageal cancer, in order to collect blood specimens for genetic linkage analysis.
The Mayo Clinic Esophageal Adenocarcinoma and Barrett's Esophagus (EABE) Registry is an unprecedented resource combining phenotype, genotype and environmental risk factor analysis. This collaborative venture represents the efforts of 48 Mayo Clinic physicians in gastroenterology and hepatology, genetic epidemiology, biostatistics, medical oncology, molecular biology, genetics, pathology, pulmonary medicine, psychology, radiation oncology, thoracic (chest) surgery, and the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.
The aims of the EABE Registry loosely include identification of candidate loci for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and its complications, and contributing to the scientific literature regarding the genomic steps necessary for the transformation from Barrett's esophagus to invasive cancer. The registry has begun to be utilized for gene discovery projects. In addition, identification of genomic polymorphisms that are associated with distant metastasis or that confer survival benefit may also prove possible using the EABE Registry.